From the principal Dear members of the Good Samaritan Catholic College community, I hope that all members of our new and growing Good Samaritan Catholic College community are enjoying the wonderful winter weather we are currently experiencing. We are certainly blessed to be living in this most beautiful part of the world. This is the first of what will become regular correspondence with you regarding the establishment of our new school. Initially, you will receive a monthly newsletter containing important information, updates on the building program, notice of meetings and induction days, information regarding staff appointments and much more. As well, we will continue to keep our community informed through regular posts on our Facebook page, our website and through emails to families. Eventually, our school and parent portals will be established to allow constant communication between the College and our community. I encourage all members of our community to be fully involved in the life of the College. Important dates Catholic Education Week Sunday 29 July Saturday 4 August Blessing of the Site Thursday 2 August 10.30am Growth in holiness is a journey in community, side by side with others. Pope Francis The message of the Gospel story of the Good Samaritan will be the cornerstone of the work we do at our new school. Our motto, "Journey with Compassion" is drawn from this story and the proud tradition of the Good Samaritan order of Religious Sisters founded in Australia in 1857. While the story of the Good Samaritan is known to most people and the term "Good Samaritan" is part of our modern language, it is necessary for all of us to ensure that we do not forget that the core of the story is one of compassion for the needy, given freely and with no expectation of reward. Sister Patty Faulkner, the Congregational Leader of the Good Samaritan Sisters recently wrote, "We should only confer the title of Good Samaritan on those who are moved by compassion and ask the question with the utmost urgency, 'What will happen to them if I don t stop and help?'" The focus of the Good Samaritan is the other the person in need of our compassion and support. What a great ideal for our College to strive towards. At the beginning of this week, I attended the biannual Australian Catholic Secondary Principals conference in Cairns. We enjoyed high quality speakers discussing the challenges facing education and our church in today's society, as well as catching up with colleagues from across Queensland, interstate and overseas. I was continually asked about the challenge and experience of commencing a new school. My answer was that I was loving it! Our new College is taking shape in the new buildings that are now being seen over the fences. However, more than this is the community that is starting to be established as enrolment offers are accepted and staff are appointed. A colleague mentioned to me that a student stated very proudly in class that she was attending Good Samaritan next year. Some students in the class questioned her and said that the school didn t even exist yet. The young lady proudly said, "Well It s the best school on the Sunshine Coast!" I look forward to meeting with all in our community at coming events and thank you sincerely for your support as we start this journey together. God Bless, V o l u me 1, Is s ue 1 20 July 2018 Greg Myers Principal
Our Marcoola Office will soon be a much busier place with new staff joining our team. They will join Mrs Jennifer Jamieson and Mrs Esme Carlson who have been responsible for ensuring a very smooth start for the administration of the College. Esme and Jenni have welcomed many parents to the office, answered queries, set up processes for enrolment and ensured that our information to families is accurate and up to date. I am sure many in our community have enjoyed these interactions. On Monday July 23, we welcome two new staff members to the College in the senior leadership roles of Business Manager and Assistant Principal. Mr Ben Meyers joins the College as Business Manager. Ben has most recently worked as Business Manager of Mary MacKillop College at Highfields in Toowoomba. Ben will be ensuring that our building program remains on track, will be procuring furniture and resources for the start of the school year, ensuring that the College financial processes meet all requirements and will oversee the non-teaching operations of the College. Mr Lee Elvy commences work as Assistant Principal. Lee leaves the position of Assistant Principal at St Teresa's Catholic College Noosaville to join our staff. Lee will be heavily involved in developing the College curriculum, timetable and organisational structure. He will be overseeing the implementation of College policies and practices as well as meeting with parents to ensure that our young people are achieving to their potential. At the commencement of term 4 (October 8), Mrs Deborah Holmes will commence work at the College as Learning Leader. Deb comes to Good Samaritan Catholic College from Unity College at Caloundra where she is in a similar role. Deb has a passion for student learning and will embed proven quality teaching methods into the College pedagogy from the first day. She will work with teachers in their classrooms to monitor student progress, demonstrate best practice and model effective teaching. Also starting at the commencement of term 4 will be Mrs Louise Mills as Assistant Principal Religious Education. Louise joins the College from Siena Catholic College where she is currently the Academic Leader for Religious Education. Louise will be responsible for ensuring that our College's Catholic Identity is imbedded in all we do and that our practice reflects the mission and values we espouse. Louise will also be organising our College liturgies and prayers, be instrumental in developing our Pastoral Care program and work closely with teachers in the Religious Education program. The position of Teacher Librarian will also commence at the beginning of term 4 and will be filled in the coming weeks. This will complete the number of staff commencing work this year. All teaching positions at the College for 2019 have now been advertised. I am expecting large quality fields for these positions and am looking forward to the process of appointments. Once appointments are made, we will commence the process of induction for the staff and orientation for our students. Non-Teaching staff positions will be advertised later this term.
On Thursday, August 2, the site of our College will be blessed. This ceremony will be attended by the Executive Director of Catholic Education, Ms Pam Betts and conducted by the Catholic Dean of the North Coast, Very Reverend Fr Kevin Smith. This will be the first major event for the College and will take place on the College property, just outside the construction fence (weather permitting). Families who have accepted enrolment for the College have been sent an invitation and are asked to ensure they RSVP for catering purposes. by the Very Reverend Fr Kevin Smith Dean of the North Coast This beautiful winter weather is perfect for building and our contractors are really moving ahead with our buildings. Over the fence you can see the structural steel for the enclosed secondary auditorium as well as the two-story administration and classroom block taking shape. What cannot be seen is the groundwork done for all other buildings with slabs poured and framework commencing. While we have lost some time due to the rain we have received, all is still on track for the buildings to be handed over at the end of the year.
We are currently sourcing venues to conduct parent meetings and student induction sessions. These meetings will take place in the second half of the term and will give parents the opportunity to meet staff, be updated on progress and have questions answered. Once teaching appointments are finalised and staff are inducted, orientation days for students will take place in term four. I have had the opportunity to now meet with all of our local elected members at every level of Government. My sincere thanks to Ted O'Brien (Federal), Dan Purdie (State), Stephen Robinson (Local) and our Sunshine Coast Mayor, Mark Jamieson. All our representatives were impressed with the work done so far and pledged their support in the coming years. As a College, and a Catholic education system, we are very grateful for the support of all levels of Government. Some support is practical, such as the members presence at events, advocacy for causes and assistance with process. Other support is financial through grants and special projects, but mainly through the significant funding received for recurrent and capital costs from the state and federal governments. Without Government assistance, non-government schooling in Australia would be confined to a very few elite private schools. Catholic education as we know it would simply not exist. I sincerely thank all our elected officials and look forward to working with them into the future.
Enrolment demand for our new College is very strong and has already exceeded the initial expectations. We are almost at capacity in our Prep classes and have reached two full classes for year 7. There are still vacancies in all year levels, though as stated, we are close to establishing a waiting list for Prep for 2019. I strongly encourage any in the community who wish to make application to do so immediately to avoid missing a place in our foundation year. If you are aware of people who are seeking further information about the school, please put them in contact with our office. Our first offers of enrolment have been sent and almost all of these have been accepted. If parents are yet to accept the offer of enrolment, or have not advised us of alternate arrangements, please do so immediately. Subsequent offers of enrolment will be made very shortly. ONLINE ENROLMENT FORM
Our uniform design is finalised, and samples are currently being made. The sports uniform should be available next week, with the formal uniform to follow the week after. We are using a local manufacturer and supplier of uniforms, Seaborne Clothing based at Marcoola, and are very happy with their designs and products. Uniforms will be on display at the College's Marcoola office as soon as possible and we will be showcasing them in our upcoming newsletters and on the Facebook page. Needless to say, we will be the smartest looking school on the Coast.